IMPROVING READING AND WRITING SKILLS OF DISADVANTAGED COLLEGE FRESHMEN.

FORD, NICK AARON

A 3-YEAR EXPERIMENT IN IMPROVING THE READING AND WRITING SKILLS OF CULTURALLY DISADVANTAGED COLLEGE FRESHMEN WAS CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE (1) WHETHER OR NOT SPECIALLY SELECTED MATERIALS, EXPERIENCES, AND METHODOLOGY CAN MOTIVATE STUDENTS MORE THOROUGHLY THAN DOES THE TYPICAL FRESHMAN ENGLISH COURSE, AND (2) WHETHER THE EFFECTIVELY MOTIVATED STUDENTS WHO HAVE IMPROVED THEIR READING AND WRITING SKILLS WILL LIKEWISE ACHIEVE AT A HIGHER LEVEL IN OTHER ACADEMIC SUBJECTS INVOLVING THESE SKILLS. THIS DOCUMENT IS A BRIEF SUMMARY AND INTERPRETATION OF THE STUDY CONDUCTED. THE PROBLEM, METHODOLOGY, MAJOR ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING THE METHODOLOGY, AND EVALUATION TECHNIQUES ARE OUTLINED BRIEFLY. (THE FULL REPORT IS AVAILABLE AS "THE READING AND WRITING SKILLS OF CULTURALLY DISADVANTAGED COLLEGE FRESHMEN," SEPTEMBER 1967, OEC-5-10-021, BR-5-0762.) THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN "COLLEGE COMPOSITION AND COMMUNICATION," VOLUME 18, NUMBER 2, MAY 1967, PAGES 99-105. (BN)